Start your studs

I’ve got a serious question, and I’m hoping someone out there can help me answer it.

Should I start Carson Palmer this weekend?

Sure, I was thrilled to draft him in two of my leagues, once in the second round and once in the third (yes, third!) round. Sure, he’s pretty much the consensus No. 2 fantasy quarterback this year, just a hair behind Peyton Manning. Sure, he threw for more than 4,000 yards last year and rung up 28 touchdown passes. But he’s playing the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday – aren’t they supposed to have a pretty good defense or something?

OK, you got me. I wasn’t really being serious – I had Palmer penciled in as my starter about two seconds after I called out his name on draft day. There’s no way in heck I’m sitting him this week, or any week for that matter, Ravens or no Ravens. I was just trying to make a point: When you’re setting your lineup, please don’t think too much.

If you’ve got Palmer or Manning or Steven Jackson or Marvin Harrison or Shaun Alexander, you play them, no questions asked. I don’t care if they’re facing a superdefense made up of 11 genetically-engineered Brian Urlacher clones and coached by the ghost of Buddy Ryan himself – if a guy was good enough to be drafted in the first or second round, and he’s able to stand upright this week, you start him.

Some owners have a tendency to overanalyze their lineup choices to the point of absurdity. Yeah, Drew Brees is awesome, but I like Tarvaris Jackson’s upside! LaDainian Tomlinson might only score twice this week! I heard Larry Johnson’s got a papercut!

Don’t be like those guys. Always start your studs.

On the other hand, not every guy on your team is a stud. For those hard-to-make roster choices, here are some guidelines:

• Don’t play with fire: Randy Moss hasn’t caught one ball this preseason. His hamstring’s hurting (again). He’s on a new team that’s notorious for secretive injury reports, unexpected offensive gameplans and spreading the ball around. And his Wikipedia entry contains a four-paragraph entry subtitled “Lack of effort.” Does that sound like someone you want in your lineup in Week 1? Didn’t think so.

• Beware timeshares: It’s usually safer to go with a middle-tier guy who’s a proven feature back (Edgerrin James, Willis McGahee) over a player expected to split carries (Ladell Betts, Jerious Norwood), especially in Week 1. It won’t hurt to at least wait a game and see how those workloads are going to be divided.

Yes, most of us believe rookie Adrian Peterson will eventually be the lead horse in Minnesota, but sometimes it takes a few weeks for those situations to play themselves out. Joseph Addai had just seven carries for 26 yards in Week 1 last year, and we all know how that one turned out by season’s end. Give it time.

• Prepare for growing pains: Marshawn Lynch might dominate the NFL. Calvin Johnson might be a Hall of Famer. But until they play a down in a meaningful game, it’s hard to consider them as anything more than luxury items with potential. Few skill players are ready to step into the NFL and perform at a consistently high level as rookies, so before you crown yourself executive of the year for drafting a future star, let’s see if he’s actually ready to contribute.